This section provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that the statements in this section of this document are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Rotor systems of rotorcraft and tiltrotor aircraft include a yoke connected to a drive mast driven by a power source. The yoke transfers the torque provided by the power source to rotor blades. The yoke is connected to the rotor blades with inboard and outboard beam assemblies via a grip. Depending on aircraft configuration, the yoke may be manufactured of steel for strength or composite material for weight savings. The grip is typically manufactured of composite material. The inboard and outboard beam assemblies include bearings that accommodate forces acting on the rotor blades allowing each rotor blade to flex with respect to the yoke/mast and other rotor blades. A particular distance between the inboard and outboard beam assemblies is dependent on the aircraft configuration where each configuration has an optimal distance for that particular aircraft's loads and dynamics. Typically, the outboard beam assembly includes a centrifugal force (“CF”) bearing and a shear bearing connected to both the rotor blade and a tip of a yoke arm via the grip while the inboard beam assembly includes a shear bearing connected to both the rotor blade and the yoke in a cut-out proximate the drive mast also via the grip. CF loads can be significantly greater than shear loads. If an aircraft configuration repositions the CF bearing to the inboard beam assembly, the connection between the inboard beam assembly and the grip that typically carries only shear forces provides a possible failure point because of the greater CF loads it now carries.